Air Traffic Controller isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #735 in popularity out of 1506 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.
In 2024, College Factual analyzed 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Air Traffic Controller Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 338 degrees in air traffic controller to qualified students.
The air traffic controller program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Air Traffic Controller rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for air traffic controller schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
The air traffic controller school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Air Traffic Controller Schools.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Air Traffic Controller in the United States
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the air traffic controller degrees they offer, see the list below.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in air traffic controller. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Daytona Beach. A Best Colleges rank of #160 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a great university overall.
There were about 34 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach in the most recent year we have data available.
It is difficult to beat Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Prescott if you want to pursue a degree in air traffic controller. Embry-Riddle Prescott is a small private not-for-profit university located in the rural area of Prescott. A Best Colleges rank of #294 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Embry-Riddle Prescott is a great university overall.
There were about 9 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at Embry-Riddle Prescott in the most recent year we have data available.
Every student pursuing a degree in air traffic controller needs to take a look at University of North Dakota. UND is a large public university located in the city of Grand Forks. A Best Colleges rank of #218 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UND is a great university overall.
There were roughly 33 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at UND in the most recent year we have data available.
Florida Institute of Technology is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in air traffic controller. Located in the city of Melbourne, Florida Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #330 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Florida Tech is a great school overall.
There were approximately 17 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at Florida Tech in the most recent data year.
Any student who is interested in air traffic controller has to look into Lewis University. Lewis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Romeoville. This university ranks 26th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 13 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at Lewis in the most recent data year.
Located in the suburb of Baltimore, CCBC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 15th out of 36 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.
There were about 9 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at CCBC in the most recent data year.
Located in the city of Anchorage, UAA is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 3 schools for overall quality in the state of Alaska.
There were roughly 7 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at UAA in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the medium-sized city of Macon, Middle Georgia State University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 52nd out of 68 schools for overall quality in the state of Georgia.
There were roughly 7 air traffic controller students who graduated with this degree at Middle Georgia State University in the most recent data year.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
college factual
The air traffic controller program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Air Traffic Controller rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for air traffic controller schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
